At a recent Town of Vauxhall council meeting held on Nov. 18, council passed the motion moved by Deputy Mayor Russell Norris to appoint the Muniserve Corporation, as assessors for the Town of Vauxhall for a period of five years, ending June 20, 2018.

According to a request for a decision submitted to council by town Chief Administrative Officer Barbara Miller, an assessor measures value on all types of property — from houses to industrial facilities, oil and gas pipelines to farmland. The measured value of a property determined by the assessor forms the basis for which the municipality’s annual property tax millrate is to be levied against. The Town of Vauxhall contracts out its assessment services and since 2007, Glen Snelgrove of the Muniserve Corporation has been appointed as the town’s assessor. The request for a decision submitted recommended the reappointment of Snelgrove, with a 90-day termination clause.

Jason Schreiber, bylaw officer for the Town of Vauxhall, submitted a monthly report for the month of October, as information for council to consider. The following are detailed statistics listed in the report. Traffic (7 reports), Fire Protection (1 report), Dog Control (3 reports), Land-Use (2 reports), Nuisance (3 reports), and Misc. Bylaw Complaints (2 reports), for a total of (18).

Schreiber noted in the report, a resident attempted to park a piece of farm equipment on town property, clearly marked with signage prohibiting the act.

“The attempt was made by parking the equipment adjacent to the equipment belonging to the company hired to complete road construction near the Vauxhall Arena,” stated Schreiber in the report, adding the equipment parked was not immediately identified as unrelated to the construction company and as soon as it was determined the random equipment wasn’t part of the construction company’s equipment, a removal notice was issued and was removed.

With October being a busy month with heavy trucks hauling various crops Schreiber noted in the report, there were instances of individuals attempting to park heavy trucks at select off truck route locations. Some individuals parked their trucks at their homes in the evenings or during a lunch period, the report stated.

“I was able to speak with two of the offenders and they were quite compliant and understanding,” stated Schreiber in the report.

Schreiber also noted in the report he has been busy enforcing an aspect of the Fire Prevention Bylaw pertaining to proper house identification.

“A notice has been sent out to two properties at this point, with one additional home now properly affixed with the proper identification. This other provision has proved to be an area in need of explanation, as some residents are confused as to why the numbers are important for identification,” stated Schreiber in his monthly report to council.

A detailed monthly report for October was submitted to council as information for consideration from the RCMP. The following are detailed statistics for the Town of Vauxhall. Thefts (2), Threats (1), Mischief (1), Other Criminal Code/Other statutes (7), 9-1-1 Hang-Ups (3), Suspicious Persons/Vehicles (1), Traffic Complaints (2), Bylaw Complaints (2), and Admin Files (1), for a total of (20). The following are monthly violation tickets for the Town of Vauxhall. Other Moving (1), Seatbelt (3), and Non-Moving (2).

The concern of drivers in town, students and adults, doing donuts and driving fast on ice and snow was brought up to the RCMP delegation by councillors during the recent meeting. An RCMP official stated concerned residents, if possible, could attempt to get an exact license plate number and a description of the vehicle in the process of doing an unlawful act and with that information the RCMP can be notified. The RCMP can follow-up on the issue and could ticket the vehicle’s owner.

Cris Burns, public works foreman, submitted a request to council to purchase a hopper, as a piece of road sanding equipment. According to Burns, the current truck used for sanding Vauxhall roads has gone past its falling apart date and the foreman asked council to purchase a new truck or hopper equipment in the next budget.

Burns told council a hopper could be purchased for less than a truck and recommended council purchase a hopper instead of paying to repair the aging vehicle. Council passed the motion to purchase the hopper equipment.